1939 and all that
Published on March 2, 2004 By O G San In International
I was listening to a British radio phone-in about al-Qaida last week. The rhetoric was embarrassingly clichéd. One gung-ho caller likened Bin Laden’s outfit to the Nazis, saying that they wished to destroy civilisation. The only solution, according to this particular hawk, was war to the end. Au contraire, retorted a left-leaning panellist, America with its “concentration camp” in Guantanamo, was the true heir to the Third Reich. Listening to this exchange, I couldn’t help but cringe.

Ever since 9-11 those for and against the war on terror have dredged up Second World War references to justify their own positions and attack those of their opponents. You all know the sort of thing I mean. Hawks see 9-11 as Pearl Harbor, Saddam as Hitler, peace protestors as appeasers. Doves compare Bush to Hitler, Guantanamo to Auschwitz, Iraqi insurgents to the French Resistance. This tendency to compare contemporary events to those of the 1940s is nothing new, Nasser was Hitler in the 1950s, Milosevic fulfilled the role in the 1990s etc. However since 2001 these comparisons seem to have increased exponentially.

Why are these Nazi comparisons so common? I believe it is partly due to our own historical ignorance. How many English people could tell you when the Hundred Years war was? Do many Dutch today know the story of William of Orange? We in the West have only one historical point of reference about which all of us know at least a little.

Such was its scale that the Second World War lives on in the public consciousness, even as the number who actually lived through it becomes less and less. Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, Pearl Harbor, the Blitz, the Holocaust, D-Day, Stalingrad – these are all terms which mean something to the man or woman on the street.

It’s not just the ubiquity of the war which explains its constant invocation. It is also the sheer barbarity of Hitler’s regime. The name of the Nazi leader serves as short-hand for cruelty anywhere in the world. Mao is Hitler, Stalin is Hitler, Sharon is Hitler, Bush is Hitler, Mugabe is Hitler and so on infinitum. Little thought is given to whether these men’s crimes are on the same scale as those of the stumpy Austrian. The Hitler jibe is the lowest form of political discourse. Don’t like someone’s actions? Call them Hitler. It’s no different to the little boy in the playground who finds himself losing an argument so calls his opponent a “poof”.

An annoyingly large number of people, unable to articulate a coherent point of view, resort instead to these dubious historical analogies. Let’s get one thing straight, Hitler’s regime was one of unmatched evil, marrying military power to insane megalomania. It is this combination of strength and evil which made the Nazis unique.

Other regimes since have had Hitler’s “ambition” without his influence. Pol Pot’s reign of terror in Cambodia comes to mind here. So yes, al-Qaida does, as the Nazis did, have plans for world domination. Thankfully though, it doesn’t have the means to impose its will on anyone. It is an organisation of a few thousand men, not a government ruling over millions. It can inflict great damage on its’ enemies but it can’t, in its current form, ever hope to defeat them.

Other regimes, such as America, have even greater power than the Nazis but they lack the Third Reich’s desire to exterminate other races. Yes, the US dominates the world and imposes its will on others, but this does not make it genocidal. Much as I dislike Bush, I don’t imagine he lies awake at night thinking of a Final Solution to the “Muslim problem”. Guantanamo Bay is an internment camp where men are held for years without trial. It is an affront to international law, a stain on America’s reputation, but Auschwitz it aint. Auschwitz was a concentration camp where a million people were KILLED. Not held without trial; killed. Let’s remember that

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to make historical comparisons, but I am saying that we should tread lightly. Bush lied about WMD to get public support for war with Iraq just as Hitler faked a Polish border attack to justify invasion in 1939. However that doesn’t mean Bush is Hitler. It just means that he’s a leader who tricked his people into going to war, like many other leaders, including Hitler, have done before.

When comparing contemporary events to those of the 1940s, we should always be aware that we are entering an emotional minefield. If we scream “Holocaust” every five minutes we end up trivialising the Holocaust itself. We cheapen the deaths in the Nazi death camps by likening them to contemporary events which, in terms of scale, simply don’t compare.

Some on the left cried “genocide” after the Israelis invaded Jenin in 2002. Dozens, not millions, died. Neocons Frum and Perle argue that America must choose between war and holocaust. Yet al-Qaida doesn’t have the wherewithal to threaten the existence of the West. In both cases, rather than discuss their views rationally, those concerned went for the emotional “nuclear” option.

Ironically, while all these WW2 analogies are flying around, the real heirs to the Nazis are on the rise across Europe. Holocaust deniers now sit on local councils across northern England. In 2002 a Vichy apologist came second in the French presidential election. Fascists won power in Austria a few years back. Rather than shout “Nazi” at every one you don’t like, why not save your ire for those who truly deserve it – the Nazis.

Comments
on Mar 02, 2004
A while ago, there was a television show that listed the top ten best movie-based heroes and villains.

I know it sounds corny, and ill reputable to communicate like this but, the Nazis are the best villain ever. They became the easiest thing to fantasize against in the late 30’s and into the 40’s. I mean, think about it: They were publicly killing millions, and it seemed as though the whole world was against them. It was a perfect example of what was morally wrong with this world. We KNOW who the bad guys are: the NAZIS.

I also totally agree with you. We compare –rather liberally- a lot of atrocities with what the Nazis did. This should be stopped.

I enjoyed your thoughts.
on Mar 02, 2004
Interesting point in today's news headlines, that JohnKerry's ancestors we're killed in the Holocaust and GW's financed them. Hmm.
on Mar 02, 2004

GW's father fought in World War II. Let's keep things in perspective.


John Kerry's family is largely from France. So you coudl probably find ancestors of his that did plenty of bad things during WW2 too if you really want to stretch history to fit some pre-determined ideology.

on Mar 02, 2004
Did you guys know that G.W. Bush's ancestors were partly responsible for killing Jesus?
on Mar 02, 2004
Now please, I am not equating the two but a similar case could be made for the term “witch hunt”. It sometimes happens that when an authoritative body conducts an investigation that focuses on a particular group or a person the term “witch hunt” comes into play. And, yes, there are times when it is appropriate it is also use as a tactic to discredit the investigation.

There are just certain terms that trigger a gut-reaction in the general population; extreme events that had profound effects on us and altered our way of thinking.

IG

on Mar 02, 2004
Why are these Nazi comparisons so common? I believe it is partly due to our own historical ignorance. How many English people could tell you when the Hundred Years war was? Do many Dutch today know the story of William of Orange? We in the West have only one historical point of reference about which all of us know at least a little.


Well, duh. No one alive today remembers the Hundred Years' War or William of Orange. Why would I compare things to events that I read about in a book when I can go by events that I experienced and that I remember?


Let’s get one thing straight, Hitler’s regime was one of unmatched evil, marrying military power to insane megalomania.


A strong case can be made for Stalin being even more evil.


Much as I dislike Bush, I don’t imagine he lies awake at night thinking of a Final Solution to the “Muslim problem”.


Much as I dislike Bush, I don't imagine that he does this, either. He lets Ashcroft cover it.


If we scream “Holocaust” every five minutes we end up trivialising the Holocaust itself. We cheapen the deaths in the Nazi death camps by likening them to contemporary events which, in terms of scale, simply don’t compare


With this I agree.


Some on the left cried “genocide” after the Israelis invaded Jenin in 2002. Dozens, not millions, died.


Genocide has to start somewhere.


Rather than shout “Nazi” at every one you don’t like, why not save your ire for those who truly deserve it – the Nazis.


Al-Qaeda doesn't deserve my ire? It's been a while since a Nazi killed an American.
on Mar 03, 2004
"Well, duh. No one alive today remembers the Hundred Years' War or William of Orange. Why would I compare things to events that I read about in a book when I can go by events that I experienced and that I remember?"

Do you remember the Second World War? Fair play, but the vast majority of us don't. The reason WW2 is so well known is because of both its scale and its comparative recentness (is that a word?). Sorry, should have made that clear.


on Mar 03, 2004
So yes, al-Qaida does, as the Nazis did, have plans for world domination


I really dont think al-Qaida have plans for World domination...

I really enjoyed you article!
on Mar 03, 2004
Thanks Muggaz. My understanding of al-Qaida is that they have a number of short to medium term aims such as getting Uncle Sam out of Saudi (nearly got that one done incidentally). In the long term they want to impose Sharia law worldwide. Of course there's no chance of this happening as things stand. That's my point, they have the same "ambition" as the Nazis but they don't have the resources to pursue these ambitions.
on Mar 03, 2004
Do you remember the Second World War? Fair play, but the vast majority of us don't.


Like you said, it's the recentness that counts. More Americans died in the Civil War, but everyone who participated in that is dead, so the collective memory fades. World War II is still plenty fresh in plenty of minds.

Also, it was abundantly clear who the arch-villains in the World Wars were. You remember people like the Kaiser and Hitler and Mussolini. It was easy to feel a personal, individual hatred for them. It's harder to put a face on The Bad Guys in the Korean and Vietnam wars and certainly harder as you go back in time. The ability to personalize the latest armed conflicts may also prompt comparisons to World War II; back then, it was Get Hitler, and now it's Get Osama and Get Saddam.
on Mar 03, 2004
Some on the left cried “genocide” after the Israelis invaded Jenin in 2002. Dozens, not millions, died.

Genocide has to start somewhere.


When you think about it, everybody's committed genocide from the Taliban to the Columbine kids.